Ice Roses
by LetItGoxx
Summary: "'There you have it. Do you know how it feels to always be second best no matter how hard you try' Drew countered. He looked at her sharply but May noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes." Amidst May's attempts in getting Drew to love coordinating again, something that has to do with Drew's past comes up. Major Contestshipping, Minor Pokeshipping
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys!**

**I decided to write a story for Contestshipping and this time it involves Pokemon. I'm not really good at writing with Pokemon so please bear with me. However, I will try my best to make this a good adventure story.**

**Without further ado, I present Ice Roses.**

**-xoOox-**

**ICE ROSES  
CHAPTER 1**

With one last attack, Flygon fell down with swirls in his eyes. The crowd erupted in cheers as he returned his pokemon to its pokeball whilst looking at his opponent.

"And the winner of this year's Hoenn Grand Festival is May Maple of Petalburg City!" Vivian announced as the crowd cheered and applauded for May.

Drew Hayden looked at her. She defeated him. She finally defeated him in the Grand Festival no less. Had it been anyone else, Drew would have been angered. However, this was May Maple who had defeated him. He felt happy for her.

But he felt disappointed in himself at the same time. He'd been coordinating for a decade now and he still hasn't managed to win a Grand Festival. He'd lost to Solidad for about three times, a guy named Robert twice, and the past two years he didn't even make the top 4. And this time, he lost. He lost to May of all people. He lost to the coordinator who started off with a lame Frisbee appeal.

He was not willing to admit it but he felt as if coordinating just wasn't for him. He found himself losing interest in Coordinating since three years ago after realizing that he was still far from his dream of being Top Coordinator.

Yes, the once arrogant and overconfident coordinator felt his self-esteem go down.

He watched as May pranced around with her Blaziken and Beautifly, who danced with their trainer happily despite being tired. The final battle with Drew seemed to have taken a lot of their energy but it was worth it.

With one last look at May and her pokemon, Drew turned around and headed towards the exit of the arena. He no longer had any business there. His rival of ten years had finally defeated him and he believed that there were no other words that needed to be said.

Out of the corner of her eye, May found Drew leaving the arena with not as much as a good-bye. She stopped dancing around with her Pokemon as she gazed at his retreating form. She was extremely happy that she finally managed to win the Grand Festival. However, she couldn't help but feel guilty. She felt sorry for Drew. She knew that he had been trying so hard to win yet she, the happy-go-lucky coordinator, was the one to beat him.

She tried to shake off the feeling of guilt and decided that now was not the right time to be worrying about her rival.

"May Maple, on-stage please as we present to you the Ribbon Cup!" Vivian instructed. She was led to a tall platform which contained the Ribbon Cup which was then presented to her.

"Congratulations once again to this year's Hoenn Grand Festival winner, May Maple!" And once again, the crowd went ecstatic in cheers. May, with one hand holding on to _her _Ribbon Cup, waved at the crowd with her Pokemon.

**-xoOox-**

"Sugar cookie! There you are, hon!" May cringed at the high-pitched voice of one of her ex-rivals, Harley. The purple-haired man had thrown away his old Cacturne suit and decided to dress up normally. He had gotten rid of the green hat and trimmed his purple hair a little. He was clad in a simple purple and green checkered shirt and almost skin-tight jeans.

"Hi, Harley! It's nice seeing you here," May greeted as Harley brought her in for a bear hug. May, on the other hand, no longer wore her trademark bandanna. Instead, she let her wavy hair lose and now flowed down the middle of her back. She was dressed in a white tank top and a red jacket. She wore jean shorts that reached a few inches above mid-thigh and red and black trainer shoes. She had long ago replaced her yellow fanny pack with a yellow back pack, claiming that it fit more than what she needed.

"Congratulations on your win! Of course, I could say that it was pure luck that got you that Ribbon Cup since I wasn't there to compete but I wouldn't want to ruin your night, hon," Harley commented followed by a laugh. May couldn't help but sweatdrop.

"Uh, thank you, Harley," May said awkwardly. "I'm just wondering, why didn't you join this year's Grand Festival?"

"Oh, you silly little sugar cookie, didn't you hear? I was on business for a few months in Sinnoh for this famous clothing line! They finally realized my talent and hired me as one of their fashion designers!" Harley told her.

'_Fashion designer? What were they thinking?' _May thought to herself. She smiled at Harley and said, "That's great! I'm sure that clothing company would really be happy to have you with them."

"Of course, they would. I am one of the best!" Harley bragged then laughed at her.

"Ehehe…" May laughed awkwardly at him.

"Well, I'll see you around, Sugar Cookie. I have other business to attend to. See you around," Harley said. He waved at her and went back to his 'business' which happened to be mingling with a few guys.

May face-palmed. Her intense rivalry days with Harley were finally over. It was like one day they were enemies and then the next they were close friends. How it happened, she did not know nor did she want to.

"May! Congratulations, you won!" May heard another woman speak. She brightened up and found herself facing Solidad.

"Thank you, Solidad! I'm glad you're able to attend the afterparty!" May said as she released her best friend from the hug.

"Are you kidding? Why would I want to miss my best friend's victory party?" Solidad giggled.

"Well, thanks for coming! How's Pewter?" May asked. Solidad and Brock had been married for two years and resided in Pewter. May was shocked when she found out about their engagement but she recovered quick. Solidad was actually good for Brock. Once they started dating, Brock no longer looked at any girl other than Solidad which was a good thing because Misty and Max were no longer there to pull him by his ears.

The two were married after four years and a half of dating. Brock naturally chose Ash as his best man while Solidad chose May as the maid of honor because she was her closest girl best friend.

"It's good! Brock's doing great as a gym leader! I hear he's visiting sometime though with Ash and Misty, I think? But I'm not really sure when. Unfortunately, I have to go home soon since I just can't stand leaving without my baby," Solidad explained. Seven months after wedding, Brock and Solidad proudly announced to their friends that they were having a baby girl.

"Oh right, how's Carrie? How is she?" May asked excitedly.

"She's doing fine. Brock's taking care of her until I get back two days from now! I just hope she hasn't driven my husband crazy yet," Solidad replied. The two ladies continued chatting for a while until Solidad's phone rang.

"Oh, May, I have to take this call. I really had a fun time, see you soon?"

"Yes, thank you, Solidad!" May waved as Solidad went to a quieter place to take the phone call.

From her place near the balcony door, she watched over the party. The coordinators were enjoying themselves. Some were eating wildly at the buffet, their appetites bigger than that of hers and Ash's combined. On another side, some were singing and dancing to the tunes that the DJ was playing.

However, she did not see the certain chartreuse-haired man she so badly wanted to talk to. Since their first time journeying through Johto, Drew and May had become considerably great friends instead of rivals. They started helping each other out with contests and training. Outside of Pokemon, they found that they actually had a lot in common. Type of music, favorite movies and the like. They even travelled together for a good two years around Sinnoh and the Orange Archipelago, competing in contests together.

They stopped travelling together when they were both 16 but they still kept in touch; calling each other via video chat once in a while. On their free time, they would meet up, hang out and sometimes battle.

Everyone but the two of them knew that each harbored feelings for the other. Because of fear that it would ruin their friendship, it became an unspoken rule between the two to never talk about it.

Years went by and the two were already 18. At that time, Drew was dating some girl named Sam whom they met at a contest in Fallarbor Town. She was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair. She was rich; her father owned a large textile company.

During the past year, she lost contact with Drew. They had stopped talking since 8 months ago. The only time that she saw her was during Solidad and Brock's daughter's baptism and at that time he was still with Sam. She guessed that they were both engaged in extreme training that he probably had no time to communicate with her. Because of this, it was a surprise when she saw him at the Hoenn Grand Festival. And it was another surprise that she ended up facing him in the final battle.

May went out to the balcony to enjoy the fresh air and stare up at the sky. She found herself doing this more often ever since the start of the festival. She found staring up at the stars calming. It made her feel somewhat serene and at ease.

"May."

Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard the low yet familiar voice next to her. Turning her head to the sound of the voice, she found the man she had been looking for all night next to her with a drink in his hand.

"Drew," she began. "Where have you been all night?"

"Why? Your night incomplete without me?" He smirked that awfully annoying yet charming smirk at her.

"Still as cocky as usual, Hayden," she replied. She shifted her position so she was now leaning on one arm while facing Drew.

"You're one to talk, Grand Festival winner," he said as if it was nothing to him. Nevertheless, May heard the bitterness in his voice.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked quietly.

"Why would I be mad at you for winning the Grand Festival?"

"I don't know. It's just that you haven't talked to me since after the battle," May said.

"I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?" He countered, his ever-present smirk still plastered on his face.

"Damn you, Hayden."

"If you want to know why I disappeared so quickly after your battle, it's because I was disappointed in myself," he admitted. May looked up at him. Over the years, he had grown taller. A lot taller, probably a good 5 or 6 inches taller than her.

"Disappointed? Why would you be disappointed in yourself? You made it to the top 2!"

"So did you," Drew replied. He had a distant look in his eyes as he stared at the contents of his drink, moving it from side to side, producing swishing sounds.

"And so…?" she trailed off, not really knowing what to ask.

"May," he began, "I'm already 20 and still haven't won any Grand Festivals. It sounds selfish I know but if you think about it, ten years is a long time to try. And then you, my rival of almost a decade who started coordinating a lot later than I have defeated me in the Grand Festival. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

May was taken aback by his outburst.

"Are you mad at me because I defeated you when you've been coordinating a lot longer than I have?" May asked, giving him an incredulous look.

Drew remained silent and just took a sip from his drink.

"So you are mad!"

"I'm not mad at you. More like, I'm mad at myself," Drew confessed.

"You can't be mad at yourself! Not everyone manages to be always in the top 2 almost always," May tried to reason out.

"There you have it. Do you know how it feels to always be second best no matter how hard you try?" Drew countered. He looked at her sharply but May noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Drew, what are you trying to say?"

"I guess… I guess what I'm trying to say is that I no longer feel passionate about coordinating," he told her.

May looked at him surprised. How could he, her very first rival, the stuck-up and arrogant jerk when they were children, suddenly tell her that he no longer felt passionate about coordinating?

"But Drew, being a top coordinator has always been your dream!"

"I guess it's time for me to find a new dream now, right?" he quickly responded. May went silent.

"For the past two years, I've been thinking to myself if coordinating was really the thing for me. I felt like I was going nowhere with coordinating. I wanted to quit this year but I decided to give it another try. I was even too focused in training that I no longer had time for others, for myself. Sam broke up with me saying that I was too engrossed in training that I barely paid her any attention," Drew told her as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

"Sam broke up with you? When?" May looked extremely shocked now. She didn't know that Drew felt this way about coordinating and then he's telling her that the girlfriend whom he had been heels over head for broke up with him. It was all too much.

"A little over six months ago," seeing the look on his best friend's face, he added, "It doesn't matter. I didn't see us lasting that long anyway."

"Hmm.. Drew, what are you gonna do about this?"

"Do about what?"

"You know, your coordinating problem," May specified.

"Honestly, I don't know."

May looked at him for a long time before an idea popped in her mind.

"Then I guess I'll just have to do something to make you like it again! I'm sure it won't be that hard!" May announced.

Drew chuckled. "Good one, Maple, but no thanks."

"Why not?" May asked like a child asking for candy.

"I just don't feel comfortable with you going out of your way to help me. You should spend your time training and getting stronger instead of helping me out, anyway," he said.

May sighed. "I'm not doing this against my will, Drew. I'm doing this because you're my friend. And that's what friends do, they help each other!"

Drew started thinking to himself before he spoke again.

"Here's the deal, if you find at least one good reason for me to love coordinating again then I'm going to try again next year, alright?"

"It's a deal!" May happily said. Drew, on the other hand, sighed at how his friend was so bipolar. One minute she was sad then the next she's doing everything but bouncing in joy.

"If it keeps you off my case, fine," Drew muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Hayden?!"

"Nothing." He chuckled lightly then looked at his watch. "Well, I'd best be going. See you tomorrow?"

"See ya, Drew!" May said. Drew turned around and left, giving her his signature two-finger salute.

May just smiled at his retreating form until she felt something at the tip of her hand which was resting on the ledge of the balcony. She looked down and so none other than a thornless red rose.

"How he does it, I'll never know." She chuckled lightly before finishing her drink and leaving the balcony with the small rose in hand.

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

**How do you like it so far? I tried to keep the characters as un-OOC as possible.**

**The next chapter will be a short one, just introducing Drew's father. So be warned for some Hayden family stuff.**

**Please review!**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys!**

**In this chapter, I'll be explaining further the different orbs that the characters will be encountering. Don't worry, this is a fanfiction so most of them are made up. I did some research as well so I tried to pattern them to the ones in the anime but the rest, I made them up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

**Previous on Ice Roses (Chapter 1):**

"_Here's the deal, if you find at least one good reason for me to love coordinating again then I'm going to try again next year, alright?" _

"_It's a deal!" May happily said. Drew, on the other hand, sighed at how his friend was so bipolar. One minute she was sad then the next she's doing everything but bouncing in joy._

"_If it keeps you off my case, fine," Drew muttered under his breath._

"_What was that, Hayden?!"_

"_Nothing." He chuckled lightly then looked at his watch. "Well, I'd best be going. See you tomorrow?"_

"_See ya, Drew!" May said. Drew turned around and left, giving her his signature two-finger salute._

_May just smiled at his retreating form until she felt something at the tip of her hand which was resting on the ledge of the balcony. She looked down and so none other than a thornless red rose._

"_How he does it, I'll never know." She chuckled lightly before finishing her drink and leaving the balcony with the small rose in hand._

**-xoOox-**

**ICE ROSES  
CHAPTER 2**

A greenish-gray-haired man clad in a white lab coat and black baggy jeans was stood at the middle of a white laboratory. The laboratory was filled with different instruments, chemicals and other equipment. At the center of the laboratory was a huge silver machine which was circular in shape and had an antenna-shaped rod at the end. In the middle of the machine were three holes of different colors: red, blue and green.

The machine was called a Radio Orb. You might want to remember that. It's _very _important.

Derrick, said greenish-gray-haired man, was currently working on connecting different wires and transmitter machines of the Radio Orb. He had been working on this Radio Orb for years.

Through his research, he learned that there were three weather orbs belonging to the legendary trio of Hoenn. And so he decided to move his research lab to Hoenn from Kalos in order to learn more about said orbs.

The orbs represented different weather patterns which the legendary trio of Hoenn were able to control. The Red Orb, owned by the legendary Groudon, controlled anything that had to do with Heat and Ground; summer, droughts, earthquakes and the like. The Blue Orb, owned by the legendary Kyogre, controlled anything that had to do with Water; storms, whirlpools, etc. The Jade Orb, the rarest of all orbs which is owned by the legendary Rayquaza, controlled anything that had to do with the Wind; tornados, hurricanes and those similar.

Derrick was a very ambitious man. He had lost his wife and had given up his son many years ago when he became too ambitious. He spent more than half of his life trying in every way to control Pokemon for his own desire. He wanted to be the most powerful trainer and to become that, he believed that ownership of powerful Pokemon would bring him to his goal.

All his life, he never settled down. He never settled down in a permanent place. He had always moved bases and laboratories for his different studies. However, ten years ago, he learned about Team Magma's and Team Aqua's attempts to steal the red and blue orbs from Groudon and Kyogre. This caught his interest. After a very expensive deal, he managed to convince Team Magma and Team Aqua to join forces since they all had one goal.

Since then, the three teams were one and called Team Cipher in the leadership of Derrick. Over the 5 years, their work included poaching Pokemon, interfering with different Pokemon industries and occasionally murdering important people. They had the same goals as Team Rocket from Kanto. The only difference was that they did more 'dirty work' than the other teams. They had been known as notorious criminals all over the region since their first year of formation. The police had been having, and still are, a hard time finding them since they usually moved bases from time to time and they did it quite fast.

They were currently residing on the Mount Aisu in Monsu Island which was the location of Team Aqua's and Team Magma's previous bases. Recently, they found out that the three orbs were hidden inside a small temple at the very top of Mount Aisu. It was a very hard climb to the top due to its being very steep. But, apparently…

"Sir Derrick, we were able to get all the three orbs. The orbs are currently in the seeing room," a young man dressed in a pair of blue pants with dark blue boots attached to it and a long-sleeved blue and black shirt with the small C on the top right of the shirt.

"Very good, now all we have to do is finish the Radio Orb and the three legendaries would be mine!" Derrick laughed evilly as he was led to the seeing room.

The seeing room was just a small room that contained literally nothing but a wooden table, a chair and a light bulb which flickered from time to time . One was holding a black bag which Derrick guessed was where they put the three orbs. The other was fixing up a wooden table. Derrick snatched the bag while glaring at the two Ciphers.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of here and go to work," he snapped at them. The two Cipher nodded quickly and ran towards the exit. Derrick opened the bag and inside were the three orbs glowing bright red, blue and green.

"Look at you little and precious orbs, I'd hate to see you all… used," he muttered to the three orbs as if they would respond to him. He put them back inside the black bag and headed back to the research room.

**-xoOox-**

_**Flashback:**_

_A loud explosion was heard throughout the small Hayden household. The seven-year old green-haired child was woken up from his slumber. He got up from his bed and went out of his room to where he had heard the explosion._

_A crash was heard and this time it came from his father's office. The little child gulped. His father never allowed the child and his mother inside his office reasoning that they might make a mess and he'd lose his files. One time, the young child attempted to see what was inside the room but was only met by a slap to the face from his father. The child was very terrified to say the least. His father had always cursed and hit him but he never thought that he would hit him for just attempting to see what was inside the room._

_Screw his curious little mind._

"_Never come in here," his father had always said before slamming the door in the young child's face._

_He winced as he heard glass shattering from inside the office. He heard a woman screaming whom he guessed was his mother. He figured that they were probably having another one of those pointless fights. But then he realized that it wasn't just any ordinary fight._

_His parents were fighting inside the office for Arceus' sake. The child had no idea what Hell looked like but he had a vague idea that it was similar to the office since his father forbid it so much. Mustering enough courage, the little boy decided to come near the office and do a little eavesdropping._

"_Is this why you never allowed me or Drew inside this room?" he heard his mother shout. What were they talking about?_

"_You know damn well that that is not the reason! This is simply my work! Are you accusing me of something?!" his father roared._

"_Derrick, I'm not accusing you of anything! What I can't understand is why you've been closing yourself from your family! It's all about your work, huh? For all I care, your work is not even that important!"_

"_It is important! It's what keeps this family alive a-"_

"_No, it does not! It's what's tearing this family apart! I don't even have any idea as to what you've been working on. For all I know, you could be part of a large syndicate hurting people and pokemon for their own personal desires! Maybe that's why you never leave your office unless it's time to eat or sleep?!" his mother yelled._

_His mother was met by silence._

"_Oh my, Arceus, please tell me none of what I guessed was true," he heard his mother gasp quietly. Her voice was shaking from fear._

"_How did you know?" Derrick replied quietly._

"_I didn't k-"_

"_FOR ARCEUS' SAKE, ANDREA, HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" Derrick roared. Andrea gulped and mumbled something under her breath._

"_What was that?!"_

"_I-I… snuck into your o-office the other day," Andrea confessed. Drew's eyes widened. His mother, of all people, snuck inside his father's office. It was like asking for a death sentence._

"_YOU WHAT?!"_

"_Derrick, I-I didn't mean to! I just couldn't help but be curious of what you've been doing because of the strange-looking mails in the box and the urgent phone calls and all those! Please, you have to understand where I'm coming from. It's not that I don't trust you!" Andrea was scared. Terrified, even. Derrick came closer to her._

"_You don't trust me enough to my own work?!" Derrick practically screamed at her face._

"_Just admit it, Derrick! You're working for a large syndicate, aren't you?! That's why you stay cramped up inside this filthy office all day. YOU don't want US, YOUR FAMILY, to know about what you've been doing because they're illegal! Are you denying it?" she challenged._

"_I gave you one rule, not to enter my office, and yet you disrespect the rule! HOW DARE YOU!" At this point, Drew was close to tears. He had never heard his father scream at his mother like this in his whole seven years._

"_How dare I?! How dare you! You never told me about this?! Arceus, Derrick, we have a son! How do you think he's going to react when he learns that his father is a wanted criminal?!" Drew's eyes widened even more. His father was a criminal?_

"_Then so be it! I have no care for that mistake you call our son! I never wanted him and you know it!" Derrick countered. Drew could hear his mother sobbing from inside the room._

"_You are heartless man!"_

"_And you're a useless, ungrateful and pathetic woman!"_

_Drew couldn't remember the last time he felt this terrified. His father hated him? He was a mistake? His naïve seven-year old mind couldn't handle this much. His eyes were already bloodshot from all the crying. He wanted to get away and so he did._

_Or, at the very least, he tried. _

_He spun around so quickly that he did not notice the short pillar with a vase beside him. He immediately crashed into it, smashing the vase into pieces. He felt his heart thump painfully in his chest. His throat seemed to dry up and he felt himself shaking in fear. He didn't want to know what his father would do to him when he finds out that he'd been eavesdropping on them. Unfortunately…_

"_What do you think you're doing? Did we not teach you not to eavesdrop on people's conversations?!" Derrick screamed at his son._

"_I-I'm s-sorry, Dad. I didn't m-mean t-to," he tried to say. His voice was shaking, his emerald eyes showed nothing but fear._

"_DAD? WHO IN THE WORLD GAVE YOU THE PERMISSION TO CALL ME THAT, YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE MISTAKE?! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I WOULD WANT A SON LIKE YOU?!" he yelled. Derrick glared at his son, the kind of glare that seemed to bear holes through his son, the kind of glare that made Drew want to wish he had never been there._

"_I'm sorry," he muttered quietly as tears streamed down his face. "I promise i-it won't h-happen again."_

"_Derrick, you're scaring the child! Stop it!" Andrea pleaded. However, Derrick was just too stubborn._

"_OH, YOU'RE AS RIGHT AS HELL THAT IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU HERE!" he shouted. Drew felt like a deer in headlights. Had his dad just told him to leave his home?_

"_W-what?" he responded._

"_GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! I'M GIVING YOU THREE SECONDS!"_

"_Derrick, stop it!"_

"_Shut up, Andrea!"_

_Drew's mind started to process what his dad just said. With shaky legs, he ran, stumbling in the process._

"_I'm sorry, Drew," his mother cried out. She tried to go after her son but Derrick held up a hand and pushed his wife back inside the room._

"_I'm not done with you yet you little tell-tale," he said in an unnaturally calm voice as if he didn't even send off his son._

_Drew had no idea how long he had been running. He didn't even know where he was going. His legs were screaming for him to stop but he couldn't. He felt like he needed to get away from his house as far away as possible. He wanted to come back to his mother but he was too scared to even look back. He decided that he'd come back for her when he finally calmed down._

_Just as he was starting to slow down, he tripped on a lose vine and tumbled down the small hill before landing on his foot, hearing a sickening crack. _

_**End of Flashback**_

Drew shot up from his bed gasping. He just had the weirdest dream. No, it wasn't the usual nightmare. He didn't even think that it was a dream. He knew it happened sometime during his childhood. He was unaware that his loud gasp woke up his Roserade who was sleeping on the couch at the left of his bed.

"Rose, Rose rose roserade?" Roserade asked her trainer in concern.

"It's… it's nothing, Roserade. It's just a bad dream. Go back to sleep," he told her. With one last look of worry, Roserade shrugged and went back to her previous position.

Drew glanced at the clock and it read 2:41.

He brushed the bangs from his eyes and wiped the sweat on his forehead. He turned up the air conditioner and resumed to sleeping, trying to forget about the dream.

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

**How do you like it so far?**

**Well, there you go. I've already introduced to you Drew's family, specifically his father. Yes, I intended for Derrick Hayden to be a jerk and a complete asshole.**

**Please review! 10 reviews before posting the next chapter, maybe?**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

**Previously on Ice Roses (Chapter 2):**

_Drew shot up from his bed gasping. He just had the weirdest dream. No, it wasn't the usual nightmare. He didn't even think that it was a dream. He knew it happened sometime during his childhood. He was unaware that his loud gasp woke up his Roserade who was sleeping on the couch at the left of his bed._

"_Rose, Rose rose roserade?" Roserade asked her trainer in concern._

"_It's… it's nothing, Roserade. It's just a bad dream. Go back to sleep," he told her. With one last look of worry, Roserade shrugged and went back to her previous position._

_Drew glanced at the clock and it read 2:41. _

_He brushed the bangs from his eyes and wiped the sweat on his forehead. He turned up the air conditioner and resumed to sleeping, trying to forget about the dream._

**-xoOox-**

**ICE ROSES  
CHAPTER 3**

Drew groaned at the alarm clock beside his bed. It had been ringing nonstop for who knows how long. He wanted to just throw it at the nearest wall but he decided not to. The first and last time he smashed it into the wall, it sent sparks towards the nearest electric socket and before he knew it, he already had emptied his fire extinguisher.

It wasn't his fault for not wanting to get up. He had a rough night. Well, as rough as dreaming about your bad childhood could go. He woke up in the middle of the night after dreaming about his childhood and found himself no longer able to sleep.

To pass the time, he thought about his deal with May. He knew then and there that he would no longer go back to coordinating even if it meant getting rich and famous and all those crappy goals he used to have when he was still the arrogant ten-year old he was.

Or, at least, he thought he would no longer go back.

He didn't know exactly why he agreed to let May help him. He didn't want her sacrificing the time she could use to train or go on a vacation for him. And though they were best friends, he still felt as if he didn't deserve it. He taunted her and made fun of her _for years. _He made her think that she was inferior to him. Yet, here she was, volunteering her time to help him for some reason he didn't know and probably didn't want to know.

At first, he thought that she was doing this because she was being a nice, good best friend. However, something at the back of his mind was telling him that there was more to that. Whatever her reason was, it had to be very important. He didn't think that she would react the way she did when he told her that he wanted to stop coordinating if there wasn't an important reason for it. Yes, she was her best friend but he thought that she would be happy now that her ultimate rival was out of the way.

The clock now read 8:42. He was supposed to meet May at her apartment not too far from his in Lilycove City at 9:00. With a heavy sigh, he carried himself off his bed and headed to the bathroom to shower as quickly as possible and brush his teeth. As soon as he was done, he quickly grabbed his pokeballs and woke up his Roserade who was still asleep on his couch. He took some bread from the pantry and decided to eat his breakfast while walking to May's.

Unlike Drew, May was an early-riser. She woke up before 7 to prepare breakfast for herself and her pokemon. Ever since she turned 18, she started living on her own. Her reason was that she wanted to learn to become more independent. With a heavy heart, her parents and Max agreed. She still visited her parents, or vice versa, on a regular basis.

Originally, she wanted to live somewhere in Rustboro so she would be nearer to Petalburg but her mind changed when she heard that Drew bought an apartment in Lilycove. Stalker? Not really. She just thought it would be a lot better and easier to live near a friend. So with Drew's help, she was able to find a two-bedroom apartment for herself. It wasn't that big but it was cozy and clean. It was very affordable and was near Lilycove's center. Best of all, it was near the beach much to her delight. That meant going to the beach whenever she wanted to without having to worry about not having a place to stay.

May was currently in the middle of wiping the coffee table with a wet rag when the door bell rang.

"That must be Drew!" she exclaimed to no one in particular. She jogged over the door, opened it and saw no one else but Drew standing there looking sleepy as ever.

"Well, you look very happy to see me," she sarcastically commented. Drew took this as an invitation to step inside her place.

"May," he greeted, nodding his head in recognition.

"So, you ready to learn how to long coordinating again?" May asked.

Drew stared blankly at her. "I just got here and you already want to start working?"

"Well, it's what you came here for, isn't it?"

"Ugh… fine," he sighed. "What are we gonna do?"

May looked at him excitedly before bouncing up and almost screaming, "WE'RE MAKING POKEBLOCKS TODAY!" He winced at the tone of her voice.

"Anti-deafening pokeblocks please," he muttered under his breath. May just glared at him. She took his hand, not noticing the blush on his face and ignoring hers, and led him to the kitchen. The kitchen counter was lined up with the different ingredients used to make pokeblocks.

"I honestly don't understand how making pokeblocks is going to help me," he stated.

"Because, silly, pokeblock making is one of the basic skill that a great coordinating has to have," May replied. Drew simply raised an eyebrow.

"Besides, Mr. Uptight-All-The-Time, it's fun! Though I'm almost certain that you have no idea what fun means," she snarled at him.

"Fine, let's just get this over and done with," he gave in.

…

"Drew, I told you for the fifth time to push that button as soon as the arrow points at it!" May shouted at him.

The kitchen was a mess. Splatters of berries were everywhere. Drew and May had been dealing with May's Pokeblock blender for the past two hours with little to no success. May started to get frustrated at only thirty minutes into blending. Drew, on the other hand, just felt bored.

"I told you that this was a bad idea," he said calmly.

"Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Rose. At least I'm making an effort here!" she yelled at him through the blender's loud sound. Drew just shrugged.

And with one last push of the buttons, the blender finally halted to a stop. May's anger suddenly dissolved as she waited for the pokeblocks to come out of the pokeblock slot.

And out came one pokeblock.

"ONE HOUR AND ONE POKEBLOCK IS ALL WE GET?!" she screamed angrily.

"Actually, it was two hours. It's already 11:30," Drew reminded.

"I HATE THIS!" May screamed again.

"Anti-deafening _human _pokeblocks please," Drew quietly prayed, repeating his words from earlier.

"Shut up, Andrew!"

"Hey, at least we were able to make one, right?"

"No! We weren't even successful! We wasted so much time!" May fumed. Drew sweatdropped.

"It's okay. It's not like I enjoyed it anyway," Drew quickly replied. This got May to be silent.

"You mean you didn't like making Pokeblocks with me?" she asked. Drew knew then and there that May took what he said the wrong way.

"No, no. I mean it's not that I didn't enjoy making them with you. It's just that I didn't enjoy making them in general. I never understood why coordinators loved making them so much in the first place. I never liked it," he explained.

May couldn't help but feel sad at this. She frowned knowing that her first attempt of encouraging Drew had gone to waste. "Well, I certainly feel stupid thinking that some stupid pokeblock-making session would help you."

"I do appreciate you trying to help me," he answered sincerely.

"But still, it's not like it made any difference."

"Yeah, but maybe it's just me. Maybe I just don't feel happy about coordinating or anything that has to do with it anymore," he responded.

May's frown remained on her face much to Drew's dismay. He sighed for the nth time.

"How about I take you out for lunch? It's almost 12 and I'm pretty sure your stomach there couldn't wait to eat," he offered.

May gave him a small smile. "Sure."

"My treat," he told her. May's smile widened a fraction.

"Better."

…

"So after you quit-" she gulped, "coordinating, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know really," Drew answered. He took a sip from his iced tea while watching May go through her fifth slice of pizza. It was a wonder how May could eat and eat and eat and still manage to be slim. It was probably from all the training and travelling, Drew concluded.

"You should at least have something planned! You can't stay stuck doing nothing forever," May stated. Drew rolled his eyes.

Drew forked his lasagna lazily while resting his chin on his hand. "I'm pretty sure I could think of something, okay? Just not now."

"Drew…"

"Look, I appreciate you being concerned about me but I just have no idea what to do with my life yet, okay?" Drew told her, setting down the fork on his plate.

May frowned. "I'm sorry, Drew. I just thought that maybe there's something I could do to help you."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, let's talk about something else," Drew offered. May nodded.

"What's been happening in your life? I mean besides that thing with the contests," May asked.

"Nothing, I guess."

"I thought you said that you wanted to talk about something else?" May asked.

Drew shrugged. "My life's been pretty boring. The Grand Festival's over, I'm on some sort of vacation while I think to myself about what I want, and as far as I know, the ladies are still after me," he said as he flashed her his very famous smirk.

May rolled her eyes. "I see you're still as cocky as ever."

"I wouldn't be Drew Hayden if I weren't cocky."

"You're annoying," May commented.

"If I were _so _annoying then how come you still want to _help _me?" May groaned. Drew won their argument once again.

"Because… because you're my best friend," May answered. She cursed herself for almost stuttering. _'Yeah, just my best friend,' _she sadly thought to herself.

"And…?"

"Best friends, uh, t-they help each other," she stuttered.

"There has to be a deeper reason as to why you want to help me with this," Drew argued.

"N-no!" she squeaked.

"I get it!" Drew exclaimed.

'_Please don't say it, please don't say it, please don't say it,' _she repeated in her mind.

"You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if I stopped coordinating because then you would miss me _soooo _much!" Drew told her as he made an impression of May hugging herself and faking tears.

"Drew, that was very disturbing. I don't think I'll ever 'unsee' that in my head!" May whined, covering her face with her hands.

"Meh it was worth a shot." He waved his hand off as if nothing happened. That brought out a giggle from May.

While Drew continued to tease May, both didn't notice three familiar figures walk inside the restaurant; two men and a woman. The woman had bright orange hair that cascaded down her back and was clad in a yellow sundress and a white cardigan. One of the men had messy, spiky raven hair and had a yellow rodent resting on his shoulder. He wore khaki knee-length shorts, a black t-shirt and blue trainers. One hand was in his pocket while the other was around the woman's shoulder. The oldest of the group was wearing black cargo shorts and muscle tea. He had brown spiky hair and was currently texting on his phone.

"Did I ever tell you that you looked great in that sundress, Mist?" The raven-haired man asked.

"Gee, Ash, you've seen me where this countless times. You should be used to it by now," Misty replied. She giggled at her boyfriend and leaned closer to him, wrapping one of her arms around Ash's waist.

"Guys, can you please knock it off with the flirting? It's making me miss Solidad even more," the other man scolded gently.

"Come on, Brocko, it's not everyday that I get to do this with Misty. In a sundress, no less!" Ash whined.

Brock rolled his eyes. He was about to retort when his eye caught a familiar couple. "Hey, aren't those May and Drew? Over there at the last table?"

Ash and Misty quit flirting for a second to follow Brock's line of sight. Sure enough, they saw Drew and May bickering at each other.

"Let's go say hi. I haven't seen them in ages!" Ash exclaimed as he walked towards their table dragging Misty by the hand.

"I swear, Drew, sometimes I wish you were- Ash!" May suddenly stopped talking as she looked up at the older trio behind Drew.

"You wish I were Ash?" Drew looked surprised.

"Shut up," May calmly said as she stood up from her seat and enclosed her three friends in a tight hug.

"Ash, Misty, Brock! I missed you guys so much!" May said as she released the three of them from the tight hug.

"We missed you, too, May!" Misty replied. She then looked behind the younger girl, "I see you've brought Drew with you?"

"Hello, Ash, Misty and Brock," Drew politely said, standing up from his seat.

"Wow, Drew, since when were you polite?" Ash joked earning a glare from the grasshead.

"Anyway, May, I heard you won the Grand Festival this year!" Brock cut in before Drew could reply.

"Yeah, I did! I beat Drew over here!" May giggled, pointing to Drew who only remained emotionless. May realized her mistake and sent Drew an apologetic look.

Drew shrugged. "It's fine."

"Why? What's wrong?" Misty asked, sensing the discomfort between the two.

May looked at Drew again for approval but was only met with a shrug. "See, Drew here just told me that he was no longer _passionate _about coordinating and wanted to quit."

"WHAT?" The trio all exclaimed at the same time.

**END OF CHAPTER 3**

**There you go! Chapter 3! **

**I hope you guys review since reviews inspire me a lot.**

**Review Goal: 10 perhaps? Hopefully.**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


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